NHƯ HẠC ĐẦU ĐÌNH | Southern Vietnamese Folk Performance & Cải lương Workshop

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Sunday, October 18

My body is like a crane at the communal house,
Longing to fly, yet unable to lift itself into the air.
(Folk verse)

In historical commemorations, women’s bodies are often fossilized into monuments, turned into instruments of war and stepping stones to glory. When the physical body is reduced to an abstraction, women’s inner lives, love, and suffering also become invisible.

Within the ancient communal house, a space where past and present converge, figures such as Trưng Nữ Vương, Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Hồ Xuân Hương, and Hồ Nguyệt Cô encounter contemporary audiences through the performances of Cải lương artists. No longer placed upon lofty pedestals, these characters come alive through layers of music and drama exploring the body, freedom, desire, and private emotions that history has chosen to forget.

Though separated from us by thousands of years, and though we may now encounter our predecessors only through the forms of stone statues, song and music emerge as a bridge that allows our spirits to “take flight” and see those who came before us from a more earthly, and ultimately more human, perspective.

The program is developed by Cuội Theater, performed by Ban Đờn Ca Nam Thinh, with communications support from Khởi Đăng Tác Khí and Tàng The Culture Lab.

Photos by @mat.bet

EVENT INFORMATION

Time: 6:30PM - 8:30PM | Sunday, October 18, 2026

Schedule:
6:30PM - 7:30PM: Southern Vietnamese Folk Performance
7:30PM - 8:30PM: Cải lương Workshop

Venue: Sơn Trà Communal House | 113A Nguyễn Phi Khanh, Tân Định Ward, HCMC
Ticket price: VND 400.000/person
Early-bird offer for the first 10 combos: VND 750.000/2 people